DXpedition advice from Chris GM3WOJ / ZL1CT

1. Ideally, your first DXpedition would be with others who have experience of DXpeditioning, but in the following notes I am assuming that you are going on a single-operator DXpedition.

2. Your contest pile-up experience will be a great help during the DXpedition. However a DXpedition pile-up is likely to be much more intense than a contest pile-up, may be spread over many kHz and requires a different approach from a contest pile-up.

3. Plan well in advance – find out as much as you can about your destination – all the obvious things like Accommodation, Visas, Licensing, Inoculations, Food costs, etc, etc. Find out about the likely weather conditions at the time of year you are going, local sources of QRN, availability of internet access, reliability of AC supplies, etc. Often the best way to find out is to ask someone who has been on a DXpedition to where you are going. Ask their advice.

4. Take a radio that has good receiver performance. Many currently-available HF transceivers actually perform very poorly in pile-up situations. Also try to take an amplifier – 500W RF output instead of 100W at your end makes things a lot easier for you and the stations calling you.

5. Antennas are a crucial aspect of your DXpedition – a home-made resonant antenna, which you can easily construct with just wire, some supporting structures and some coax feeder, will almost always out-perform any commercial antenna. Resonant antennas usually only cover one band at a time, so you might want to install 5 or 6 of them at once if possible, or change them over from time-to-time. A resonant antenna does away with the need for any antenna tuner. Having to use an antenna tuner is a good thing to avoid, if you can. If you take a Spiderbeam or Hexbeam type antenna, remember that they only really perform (esp. on 14MHz) at a reasonable height e.g. 15m to 20m above ground, which may be difficult to achieve. A vertical antenna within a few metres of the sea will out-perform most horizontally-polarised antennas and may be much easier for you to set up, if you have access to a beach. Take some clip-on ferrite chokes – they may be needed to suppress RF in the shack.

6. Take your own laptop/netbook/tablet with you, but make sure you test it thoroughly with whichever radio you are taking – so that the radio’s CAT control will record the frequency of every QSO that you make. There are many free logging software packages available, which make logging DXpedition QSOs quickly very easy. For example, N1MM or Logger32. However you must spend some time becoming familiar with how to interface the software with your radio and how to use the software effectively. If you need to use a USB <-> RS232 converter, check that the chipset in the converter actually works properly with your PC and your radio CAT control. Take spare fuses, etc.

7. Internet access is very important nowadays. Try to find out in advance if this is available, or not, at your DXpedition destination. The world-wide amateur radio community will expect you to keep in touch, even if it is only once a week, and also to upload your DXpedition logfiles regularly to an ‘online log’ if possible. Set-up a website and/or send information about your upcoming DXpedition to the DX news bulletins. If your DXpedition experiences delays or technical or other problems, let everyone know and they will be sympathetic (mostly!).

8. How you operate will determine how successful or otherwise your DXpedition is, often more so than propagation or equipment and antennas. Operating is something you have complete control over.

9. The most important thing is that you think positively about the whole operating experience. Once you get used to them, you will really enjoy DXpedition pile-ups and take great personal satisfaction from keeping them under control and working stations as fast as possible. You will also gain the respect of radio hams worldwide, who can be quite impatient and critical. They almost always don’t fully understand (or don’t care) what things are actually like ‘at your end’.

10. Another key point – YOU are in control of what happens when operating and can say anything that you think will help complete the contact quickly and efficiently. Yes you can switch off if things get too tough, but staying on the air and controlling the pile-up and outwitting any DQRMers is great fun. (DQRM = deliberate QRM = deliberate interference with your signal, which sadly might be a problem at times) Ignore deliberate interference completely if you can, and don’t allow it to cause you any stress.

11. Spend time using your radio so that you know exactly how it works. If possible, learn how to use it under situations where there is heavy interference.

12. Speed is the most important thing in handling a pile-up – whatever you do, do it quickly and accurately then move quickly on to the next QSO. It’s worth remembering that about 80% of what we say into a microphone is un-necessary information. Try to build up and maintain a steady rhythm to working the stations.

13. Keep control of the pile-up at all times. This is easier if your signal is loud, so pay attention to equipment and antennas. On the bands we often hear an inexperienced operator in a rare country being overwhelmed by the pile-up and closing down or changing bands – with experience (or advice) this would not happen. Timing of transmissions is a key factor in pile-up control – keep transmitting regularly and never allow stations to call more than twice before you next transmit.

14. Always reply to ONE specific station every time and give them a report immediately – no dithering about and asking for repeats. Usually you need to have copied at least 2 letters of the callsign before replying, and there may be more than 1 station with these same 2 letters in the callsign. Very often you might only copy the last letter of one callsign – you can still say “the station ending in Bravo 59” – this usually works but can waste time.

15. Announce your callsign regularly – incorrect DX Cluster spots are fairly common so it benefits everyone if you give your callsign regularly. How often ‘regularly’ is depends on a number of factors which you will find with experience – after every contact may not be necessary – after every second or third contact is really the minimum.

16. Don’t waste time – don’t repeat the report that the other station sends you back to them – this is a common fault with newer operators – they are mentally giving themselves time to catch up with what’s happening – if you are not 100% sure about any part of their callsign, just ask for a repeat. Some time-wasting phrases to be avoided : “Standing-by for a call”, “Thanks for the QSO” etc..

17. Always work Split frequency – you TX on say 21.295MHz and listen from 21.300MHz to 21310MHz. Check that you understand how the SPLIT button on your radio works and that you have things the right way round i.e. every time you go to transmit you stay on 21.295, but when on receive you can tune freely from 21300 to 21310 or whatever. Remember to tell the pile-up – ‘300 to 310’ is all you need to say.

18. The single word “Thanks” is an elegant way to end a QSO – this one word conveys to the other operator that (a) you have received all their information correctly and (b) you appreciate the QSO. The single word also implies to others listening that you are now waiting for other stations to call. You can say ‘Thanks xxxxxx’ where xxxxxx is your callsign.

19. Make sure that you give everyone a chance to work you – for example, stop a USA pile-up every few minutes and make a selective call – any Europe please, any Pacific please, etc ? This is a very effective technique, and surprisingly often results in a station who has been calling you from a long way away being worked. 

20. Make a note of good ‘band openings’ that you experience to different parts of the world – there are many radio propagation experts who can give you advice about the best time to be active on any particular band. Some logging software packages also have propagation prediction features built-in.

21. Ask stations to give their full callsigns when calling – unfortunately this only works for a few minutes (or not at all!) after you make the request, then it’s back to old (bad) habits – however if you reply to full callsigns, the calling stations might get the idea ! As long as you are working stations quickly then it doesn’t really matter how they are calling you, but full callsigns are ideal. One common problem is that if you respond to a callsign having heard only one or two letters, the station assumes that you have their full callsign and does not give it – this is a common time-waster – you have to quickly say ‘Your call?’ or similar.

22. Operating on the low bands (160m, 80m) can be very difficult and requires receive antenna(s) as well as transmit antennas. Again there are many experts who can help you with advice.

23. The pile-up operators do not want to know your name, etc – just make sure that they know you have copied and logged their callsign correctly – your website or new bulletins should give them all the other information.

You : VK0XX 300 to 310

Pile-up : xxxKPxxxxxxx

You : Kilo Papa 59

DL2KP : Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa 59

You : Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa – thanks .. (or just Delta Lima Two – thanks) .. (or DL2 – thanks)

Pile-up : xxxxxxxxxxx etc….

You : CQ CQ VK0XX – Victor Kilo Zero Xray Xray – listening from 21 300 to 21 310

Pile-up : xxxKPxxxxxxx

You : Is there a Kilo Papa calling ? Please call now (or ‘Make your call’)

DL2KP : Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa

You : er .. is that Delta Lima Two Kilo something – say again 

DL2KP : Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa

You : Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa, Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa – thanks for calling you are 59, 59 – over

DL2KP: 59 Thanks

You : Delta Lima Two Kilo Papa – thank-you for the 59. 73 and good luck. This is VK0XX – Victor Kilo Zero Xray Xray – listening from 21 300 to 21 310

Pile-up : grrrrrrrrrrrr

http://www.qsl.net/gm3woj/dxpeditionqrm.htm

DXpedition QRM – my personal opinion – Chris GM3WOJ/ZL1CT 

I am disappointed by the level of deliberate QRM that the FT5GA DXpedition is experiencing in their first few days of operating. There is no excuse for this bad behaviour, which is slowing down the QSO rate and will deny many people their first QSO with Glorioso.

The psychological state of the jammers is a mystery to me – perhaps they have called for hours without success, then think “well if I can’t work them I’ll try to stop others working them” – who knows – I suspect a lot of it is just ‘RF vandalism’.

It is worth considering what a DXpedition can do to minimise the effects of jamming – obviously if the jamming is persistent and 59+40dB then all they can do is QSY on that band, or move to another band or mode where the jamming station’s signal is reduced by propagation. Here is my list of things that a DXpedition could do to minimise the effects of jamming – these comments are general * * not directed at FT5GA * * (but some of these points may be relevant to this DXpedition)

1. Don’t ‘hype’ the DXpedition too much before the event. Over-ambitious claims before a DXpedition result in excessive expectations, which then quickly turn to frustration if things don’t work out. Everyone prefers a solid QSO to a flashy website, Twitter feedback, streaming video, etc, etc !

2. The DXpedition organisers should have a realistic view of what is achievable with the resources at their disposal – for example a DXpedition to an entity which is very rare should concentrate on CW and SSB only, on 40m, 30m, 20m and 17m at this low point in the sunspot cycle and not be tempted to over-stretch limited resources by trying to do too many diverse bands and modes. Specialist sponsoring groups may put pressure on for exotic datamodes etc, but it is far better to consider the needs of the majority – a whole generation of new operators may need this rare entity for an all-time new one.

3. Operator experience – absolutely crucial – a 50kHz wide wall of stations calling can only be handled by *very* experienced operators. DXers do not necessarily make good DXpedition operators – they may have little or no experience of being on the receiving end of big split pile-ups. In general good contesters are much better at handling and controlling pile-ups – and also at copying signals with heavy QRM. Contesters think about QSO rates and logging accuracy.

Unfortunately (it is human nature) many operators are not amenable to ‘training’ – they regard themselves as top operators who don’t need trained – sadly they find this is not the case when it is too late i.e. the wall of impatient stations is calling them. When you hear the word ‘Again’ regularly from the operator, you know that he is not experienced – he should be sending the part of the callsign he has heard then 59 immediately, then checking or confirming the full callsign on the next transmission – saving time. Ignoring deliberate QRM is the best policy, but sometimes it just cannot be ignored and you have to change something to make QSOs.

4. Signal strength – absolutely crucial – if the DXpedition signal is strong, QSOs can still be made through moderate jamming – jammers soon give up if they see no effect of their actions. Obviously an amplifier is essential, but choosing the correct antennas is the key – for example a Spiderbeam at 10m or 12m above ground level (and perhaps too close to the metal roof of a building or other nearby objects) is not likely to be a very good antenna on e.g. 20m. If the DXpedition is somewhere where the beach is accessible, verticals or DJ2YA’s 2-ele vertical arrays are the key. If you can’t put these vertical antennas on the beach, the choice of antennas becomes much more difficult. Experienced DXpeditioners would probably know to have different antenna options available if they are unable to find out exactly what the local conditions are – or to change existing antennas if they are not working as desired.

Receive antennas are essential if operation is planned on 160m and 80m (and maybe 40m) – especially near the Tropics – even a single Beverage (which is easy to install and could be shared or repositioned) would make a significant difference.

A strong signal makes the pile-ups easier for the DXpedition operators to control and makes the DXpedition easier for you to work. Maybe taking one 1500W amp would be a better idea than 2 x 500W amps, especially if only one or two stations are going to be active all the time.

5. Propagation knowledge – also crucial – if the DXpedition has limited antennas or restricted power, it can compensate to some extent by utilising band openings to their full extent – not turning the beam away from one area where the opening might be short each day to another area where the band is open for many hours, just because the second group of signals are stronger and easier to work at that particular moment.

6. The DXpedition should have *everything* ready to go before making even one QSO. This is very important – a clear start date/time for the DXpedition (if possible) prevents frustration building and rumours starting. On a rare entity the temptation is to start making QSOs as soon as you arrive – it is better to get everything sorted out, have a rest if necessary, then face the ‘Eu Zoo’ with a fully-charged personal battery !

7. If they have internet access, the DXpedition should let everyone know exactly what is happening, at least daily if not more often. Always include the day/date/time in these postings – not just ‘today’ or ‘tomorrow’ which are really meaningless. If the world is waiting, they will wait more patiently and calmly if told e.g. “we intend to be fully QRV by 1800 UTC on 20th April”

Just my 50p/50c worth ! I hope things settle down for FT5GA, propagation improves and they make lots of QSOs.

73 Chris GM3WOJ/ZL1CT gm3woj …<aat.> talk21.com

http://www.n3epa.org/Pages/FDIM2000/WA3WSJ-QRP-Dxpedition.htm

An Anatomy of a QRP DXpedition

What is a QRP DXpedition? How can I do one? When is the best time to go on a DXpedition? Is it expensive? Where can I stay and take my radio equipment? Do I need a special license? How can I get a license to operate from another country? If your thinking about a QRP DXpedition, these are just a few of the questions you will ask yourself. In this article I will try to answer these and many more questions about a QRP DXpedition. I hope you enjoy the article as much as I have enjoyed writing it.

What is a DXpedition? A DXpedition is any amateur radio operator who travels to another country to operate on the amateur bands. This could be one operator or a team of operators. This operator or team of operators might take their equipment with them or have the equipment at the DX location. Another possibility is a combination of both taking the equipment and having some equipment at the DX location. The location of the DXpedition will determine what and how much equipment you will have to take with you. Another major factor in determining how much equipment to take is how serious you want to be about the DXpedition. Do you want to put in a serious effort or will this trip be a casual one? For example, you might want to combine a DXpedition with a family vacation. It’s entirely up to you.

If you have never been on a DXpedition and you are contemplating one, the first question is location? I like the beach so most of my DXpeditions have been on Islands in the Caribbean. It’s up to you, but just remember the more rare the location the more contacts you will make during the trip. Here is an example: let’s say I go to Germany for a DXpedition and use the call DL/WA3WSJ. There’s nothing wrong with Germany, but using that call won’t create many pileups. Most of the operators in Europe have probably worked a few Germans and many of US operators have also worked Germany. But, let’s say I go to the Island of Montserrat and use the call VP2MKW. There aren’t many hams on the Island of Montserrat so the rest of the world population of operators will want to work you. This creates, the word I love to hear, a “pileup.” I will talk later about pileups.

If you have never been on a DXpedition, I suggest that you either go with someone who has been on one before or travel to a location that has easy transportation to it. This is why I travel to the Caribbean. The Caribbean is close and has many airline routes to the various Islands. I also know that many operators would like to have a QSL card from a Caribbean Island such as Abaco Island in the Bahamas. Again, it’s up to you as to what you like and where you want to go for your DXpedition.

The next question you might ask yourself is how do I set up or plan a QRP DXpedition?

This is the most crucial step for a successful DXpedition. Here is a list of questions you should ask yourself:

1: Is this a serious or casual DXpedition?
2: Where is the location?
3: Do I have enough spare time for this DXpedition?
4: Can I get a license?
5: Can I get transportation to the location within my budget?
6: Do I have the gear needed to operate this DXpedition?
7: Do I have the operating skills needed for a successful DXpedition?

I’ve mentioned items one and two now for number three. Do I have the time for this DXpedition? If you go to the Caribbean, count on two days travel time. I usually take eight days for my trips to the Caribbean. This leaves a maximum of six days to operate as DX. I also make sure that during my stay on an Island there is a contest. I particularly like the CQ WW CW Contest which lasts for forty-eight hours. Count on three days for the contest if you don’t have any major set up to do such as antennas etc. If your like me, the day after a contest all you want to do is relax. That leaves only three days to operate as DX outside the contest. Other locations such as the Pacific will probably take additional travel time and cut down on the operating time unless you add days.

Question number four is very important. Can I get a license? This question is a very timely one. You have to know how long it takes to get your license from the DX country. I usually ask the ARRL about how to obtain a license and they send out a packet of information about it. This packet usually has most of the information that you will need to obtain a license. If it doesn’t, a call to the ARRL will usually send you in the proper direction for information. I’ve found over the years that the Bahamas are slow with all paperwork. You can call BATELCO, Bahamas Telecommunications Corporation, directly, but it will still take months to obtain a license. They operate on Island Time. The major factor here is time. If you book your trip two months ahead of time and it takes six months to obtain your license, you’re out of luck! Bottom line here is to send for the license at least six months before the trip.

Question number five is up in the air. Can I get transportation to the location within my budget? Most DX locations are close to some airline route. The key word here is price. I travel to Abaco Island in the Bahamas for contests and US Airways has flights into and out of the Island. The price can vary by as much as forty percent by changing your flight one day. I usually fly from Tuesday to Tuesday and the cost for a round trip ticket from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to Abaco is approximately $ 530.00. If you travel close to a holiday, the price will jump. For example, my daughter left one day after us on our last trip near Thanksgiving and the price for her ticket jumped up to $ 725.00. Watch what day you fly!

Another factor influencing which airline to use is how serious you will be about the DXpedition. I fly out of Orlando, Florida to Abaco because US Airways flies a larger plane into Abaco. If you take American Airlines, you will have to take a small puddle jumper into Abaco. This is ok if you’re only taking light gear and no beam etc. But if you’re taking larger gear, the small plane won’t take it. So, determine how serious an effort you want to do and check what airlines are available for that location. Next check what size baggage the smallest plane on your trip will allow you to take on the DXpedition. As always, check prices. I usually use the Internet to arrange my airline schedule.

Question number six is totally up to you. Do I have the proper gear for the DXpedition? Again the major factor here is how serious an effort you want to do for the DXpedition. If you’re serious about the DXpedition, antennas will be a major factor. If the DX location has antennas there, this isn’t a problem. If the DX location doesn’t have antennas, you will have to take them along with you. On my first QRP DXpedition to Abaco Island I took a Butterfly Beam and two wire antennas. I only used the wire antennas because my family went along and I didn’t want to take the time to put up the beam. I wasn’t very serious about operating on that trip. Again, it’s up to you. What radio should you use for the DXpedition? I operate almost entirely all cw so my QRP rig has many cw features. If you’re going to operate SSB, take a rig that has lots of SSB features in it. If the DX location has a rig or rigs there, it probably won’t be QRP and make sure the rig has the proper filters in it for your DXpedition.

I once went to a location which the owner said had great rigs. He was correct, but he operates mainly SSB and the rigs didn’t have any cw filters in them. I had to listen to half the band the entire DXpedition! Since that incident, I always take my rig with me to the DX location. I use my Elecraft K2 Rig when I’m on Abaco. I’m familiar with this rig and I know how to operate it without thinking about it. My point here is to take your rig with you to the DX location. You’re familiar with this rig and you know it has all the features you need to work DX. Don’t put yourself in a situation in which you don’t have the proper radio.

What about logging? If you’re spending the time and money to go on a DXpedition, you should take a laptop and use a logging program. I have never used paper to log while on a DXpedition. The reason is simple- you don’t have the time to write down all the calls. In addition, you’re work after the DXpedition will be greatly decreased by using a logging program. If you work a contest, all the dupe sheets and the log can be printed out in a matter of minutes. This is a real time saver.

What logging program should I use for my DXpedition? The answer to this question is simple. You should use a logger that is set up for the contest you’re about to operate and one that will work outside the contest. I use CT because this program works with all the contests that I operate and has a DXpedition mode for outside the contest. The main factors here are to use a logger that meets your requirements and one that you’re familiar with its operation.

This leads us to the next question. Do I have the operating skills needed for a successful DXpedition? Want skills are needed for a successful DXpedition? Again, you must define what you want to accomplish on this DXpedition. Do you want to operate in a contest and have a big score? Do you want to work a hundred countries on this trip? Do you want to set a world record or a personal record? It’s up to you! You should define what your goal is for the DXpedition before you make a single plan. On my first QRP DXpedition to Abaco Island, I knew before I started the trip that it would be a casual operation. No personal records and no big contest score. This defined all the other factors about the DXpedition.

What minimum skills are needed to operate a nice DXpedition? In the past, I wrote down all the calls I copied on a piece of paper first then put them into my computer. I soon found out that this wouldn’t work on my DXpedition. Usually everything is ok until someone calls you out on packet. The nice pace you were running at now turns into a feeding frenzy. You find yourself trying to copy a dozen calls and write them down on paper. The result is you can’t copy anything and most of the operators trying to work you will become impatient and leave the frequency. Learn how to operate a logging program and learn to copy the calls in your head. The path is now head to computer which is much faster than head to paper then to computer. Initially this is very hard to do, but after working at it you will like it.

The next skill needed is to learn to focus on one call out of many calls. Some ops can actually copy multiple calls in their head. I haven’t acquired this skill yet, but I can copy one call out of many calls.

The routine goes like this:
a: copy the call in your head
b: type in computer as you hear it
c: hit the button

This routine only takes a few seconds so you can quickly work through the pileup. Once the ops trying to work you figure out your timing, the pileup will dwindle down.

What about pileup skills? While I was on Abaco Island during the CQ WW CW Contest in November of 1999, I had a nice run on fifteen meters which lasted about three hours. Here are a few hints that worked for me. First I tried to hold a frequency at 21.005mhz. It didn’t work because the high power stations knew they could move me. I would work two or three stations and someone would start calling CQ over top of me. Don’t try to fight with a high power station to hold a frequency because you’ll lose. Just find another open frequency or search and pounce.

I ended up on 21.087mhz and stayed there for three hours. I found this frequency by working stations as I went up the band until I found a relatively clear spot. I then started calling CQ.

I held this frequency for three hours because I developed a pileup. At first only a few were calling me. Then I heard the first wave hit me. What is a wave? I define a wave as a bunch of operators who see you on a packet call out and all of them call you at the same time. I worked through the first wave then it started to slow down. Now more operators hear the activity and wonder who is it? These operators only know there’s a DX station on this frequency that they probably need in the log. They send a question mark. What I do is to work the stations sending their calls. I don’t answer the question mark. As the calls begin to slow down, I send my call sign. Now the feeding frenzy starts to develop into a full blown pileup. If I keep sending my call, the pile will keep growing until I can’t manage it. That’s why I only send my call as the pile starts to die off because it’s harder to manage a pileup with a QRP station. The stations calling you are usually running high power. I use the pileup to hold my frequency. If someone wants to steal the frequency, the others don’t like it. I use the high power stations as frequency police to protect me! I think this is just great and I love to run a frequency utilizing this technique.